


The end is always a new beginning

by Huggiebird



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst?, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, ruspru is a good ship, this was hard to end because there is just so much to say
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 03:08:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19142335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huggiebird/pseuds/Huggiebird
Summary: In some ways, history always will repeat itself.This is for the Hetalia rarepair week 2019 event on Tumblr.With today: History as prompt.I had a lot of fun writing this, I hope you all enjoy.





	The end is always a new beginning

“You saved me before, so let me return the favour. Please.” It stayed quiet on the other side of the door. The person who had spoken bit their lip and debated on his next move. After a few moments he made up his mind and reached for the door in front of him.  
The door opened without much problems, the old wood creaking when it was moved. The male who had opened the door was pale, had white blond hair and red eyes. His name was Gilbert Beilschmidt. He was better known as Prussia, or more recently, the former nation spirit of the GDR.

Just about two years ago, he had gained the freedom he had wished for since the day he had turned from Prussia into the GDR. Looking back on it now, it had been an act of mercy. The Soviet Union, which had been betrayed by the Third Reich in the first place, had had the most right to demand the dissolution of Prussia as a part of the Third Reich for what they had done.

But he didn’t. Instead of agreeing to dissolve a part of the nation that had caused the Allies so much pain and suffering, the Soviet Union had demanded he would get the lands instead. In a way to compensate for the great losses the large country had suffered due the invasion and the battles afterwards in the war.

That formed East and West Germany, with Gilbert being the East while his younger brother was the West. That happened to Berlin too, with an eastern side and a western side. Berlin was still the ‘heart’ of both brothers however.

Gilbert had not understood the reasons behind the Berlin wall being built at first in 1961, but now he understood completely. The Soviet Union had not told him when he had asked back then, but when Gilbert was free, when the wall was being broken down, Ivan had explained the reasons why.

If Ivan had not built the wall, Gilbert would have faded away even before the decade was over. All because too many people were leaving to live on the western side. If too many people left, Gilbert would not have had any people left to call his own or too little to live on as a nation spirit.

Ivan had saved Gilbert’s life twice in a shy 40 years. First by claiming him as a part of the Soviet Union instead of dissolvement and the second by enacting a wall to prevent Gilbert from fading away.

Right now, two years after his regained freedom, Gilbert wanted to do the same. After East-Germany had gained its independence, other soviet satellite states followed, causing nearly the total collapse of the Soviet Union. Nearly was a relative word in this sense, since Gilbert knew it would just be a matter of time before their own government would officially disband the Union.

If a nation disbanded or fell apart, the nation spirit that represented that union would die. That had happened to the Roman Empire and The Holy Roman Empire. Germania too, Gilbert mused while he walked the halls of the home he had entered. Germania and The Holy Roman Empire were both nation spirits Gilbert held dear in his heart.

He and Ivan might not have been as close as the aforementioned nations, but he and the Russian had had centuries of history between them and the albino didn’t know what he would do if the taller nation would disappear forever. In the beginning when they had first met, it had been a lot of fights but during the ages they both matured. From fights to commandry and even Royal marriages. 

All those things brought them close together and both saw each other as a sort of friends, even with the conflicts they had been in together. They understood each other in a way even Ludwig, Gilbert’s younger brother did not understand Gilbert. They were both seen as different. Gilbert for being an albino and Ivan for acting out of the usual social norm.

Ivan Braginsky was the nation spirit of the Soviet Union. Before that, he had been an Empire. The change from Empire to a Socialist state had been a transition and not an impending dissolution. Gilbert hoped Ivan would be able to transition into another form of Government instead of dissolving, but the chance the Russian would survive that were slim.

He sighed, dwelling on the past and thinking of what-if’s while looking for the Russian were not going to do the albino any good. “Ivan! Where are you!? I know you live here!” Gilbert called out. He had walked these halls himself, but back then they had looked cleaner than they did now.

Gilbert had lived in this big home for 42 years if he wanted to be precise. It had not been as bad as it might have been, and Ivan had been as much a pawn in his boss’ chess game with the West as all the other satellite states had been. 

Communism preached equality for all, but it was anything but. The only equality was their suffering under the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, who had their seat of power in Moscow. The leader of the Communist party, who was also the head of state, controlled all of them through the main representative, Ivan Braginsky.

Ivan had always carried the combined burden of all the states he was essentially made out of and his own, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. When they all declared independence and he was the only one left, he was not able to carry the burden any longer.

Gilbert had seen the signs before he left. Stress from too much work, sleeplessness at night and being worn to exhaustion on other days. Everyone had seen how Ivan had tried to act as normal as he could, not to show any weakness to his enemies and friends alike. That he could keep going when it was obvious, he wouldn’t be able to.

Gilbert knew how it was to die alone, as it had happened in battles in the past. Those deaths happened when he had been a full-fledged nation however, and thus being able to come back to life. Gilbert did not want that to happen to Ivan. Gilbert sighed, looking around at the quiet rooms and hallways. Ivan was somewhere in the house, but by giving no indication as to where, it was hard to find him.

Gilbert had walked up the familiar stairs while he had been lost in his thoughts, ending up on the second floor where all bedrooms were located. The first floor contained the hallway, living room, dining room and adjourning kitchen. The living room also had doors that could be opened that lead to the garden. Gilbert could just envision Ivan happily tending to the blooming flowers in the summer months. It was one of those small things that had made the man forget his worries for a little while.

It looked mostly the same as Gilbert remembered from two years previously, except that the windows were frosted and the outside was coated in a thick layer of snow. It was nearing the new year and December was always cold. The house was colder than he remembered too, Ivan must have forgotten to pay the heating bills again. Most of the lights didn’t work either, but that could be broken bulbs or forgotten bills as well.

The name plates on the bedrooms were gone, only a light spot reminding the albino where the plates used to be. Everyone had been given a private bedroom with their name on it in the beginning, to avoid confusion as to who slept where. The only one without a name plate was Ivan’s own, which had a golden painted doorknob instead.

On the second floor there was also a big room with all kinds of music instruments. Ivan liked to play music and had given everyone the freedom to play as much as they had wanted, on reasonable hours of course. Ivan had an own woodwork room, where he crafted all kinds of things from wood, but the door was locked. Gilbert had checked when he had been looking for the Russian.

Gilbert just knew Ivan to be in his bedroom now, even if he had not checked every room downstairs yet. It was too quiet downstairs for the larger nation to be there so that left the only option, upstairs.

It was dusty everywhere though, mostly downstairs in the rooms that had been used less in the past few months it seemed. The home was just too big for one nation to occupy and maintain. Gilbert had stopped when he had reached the last door, Ivan’s. He didn’t know what he would find there but he hoped it wasn’t anything bad.

“Ivan? It’s me, Gilbert.” No reply. It made the albino bite his lip again. “I’m going to come in, okay?” He did hear shifting blankets this time. He was right. The Russian had been in his room all this time. He wondered why the larger country had not yet opened the door. Usually he was quick to see who was at his bedroom door, but this time it wasn’t the case it seemed.

Gilbert did not want to wait any longer and he reached for the golden door knob, grabbed it and twisted the round handle. The door went off of the lock, thank goodness. Gilbert would not have known what to do if it had been locked. He gently opened the door enough to slip inside. It was already approaching the evening now and Gilbert had to turn on a light if he wanted to see properly. He hoped the ones in this room worked.

He heard Ivan shift in the bed again, but wondered why he had not gotten any sound from the other yet. He managed to find the light switch and turned it. A few lights sputtered to life weakly. The light had not been shut off due overdue unpaid bills yet. Gilbert was finally able to see the one he had been looking for in the past hour since he arrived.

Gilbert saw the Russian roll over to his back and open his eyes. Ivan looked exhausted, if the gaunt face and dark circles under the eyes were no indication. The albino quickly walked over to the bed. He made sure not to walk too loudly or he might startle to bigger nation. “Hey.” He said softly, making the Russian turn his head slightly to blink at him in surprise.

“Gilbert….?” Ivan’s voice sounded hoarse and unlike what Gilbert was used hearing from him. “What are….you doing here?” Came the confused inquiry. Gilbert had to chuckle a bit while he decided to take a seat against the bed on the floor, on the soft rug placed underneath the bed. He looked at the finely decorated ceiling before he answered.

“I came to say goodbye. And maybe hope I’ll see you on the other side someday if you go.”

It was a simple answer, but one both understood well. They both knew Ivan could dissolve and disappear like Rome or the Holy Roman Empire if the leaders decided to do so. Gilbert startled a bit at the cold hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at the occupant of the bed in surprise. The hand was far colder than it should be, even for a northern nation like Ivan.

Ivan hadn’t moved much but the simple act he had just performed seemed to drain the little energy he had possessed. “Do not worry Gilbert….I won’t disappear…that easily. I lived through…worse.” He said, making the other internally cringe at the crack in his voice. Ivan turned on his side to get more comfortable, letting his hand slip from Gilbert’s shoulder.

The Prussian stood up and arranged the blankets better before taking his seat again, but this time facing the Russian. Ivan gave him a thankful, tired smile. He spoke again. “I am grateful…. That you are here. That… you decided to visit at… at this time of year.” Gilbert had to snort at that.

“Some snow won’t stop me from seeing you.” He said softly. “Holy Roman Empire died all alone, and I do not want anyone else to suffer that fate alone.” Ivan opened his mouth to interrupt but Gilbert continued. “So let me please stay here until the end. If you are willing to have me.” That made Ivan smile a bit more. 

“I’m glad we are friends Gilbert…You are allowed to stay as long as you want.” Ivan shifted slightly and grabbed hold of one of Gilbert’s hands. The albino had put them on the bed and had balled them both into fists while he had spoken. The small squeeze he received made the albino relax a bit, taking a hold of the Russian´s hand with both his own.

“I don’t want you to go. Not yet. Not until I say you can go.” It sounded childish but Gilbert didn’t care. “You are too important to me. You saved me twice from being dead forever, verdammt! I want to save you too! Or at least repay the favour.” His throat closed up with stupid tears and it made his eyes burn. He laid his head on the soft bedding, gritting his teeth. Trying to hide the tears that threatened to fall.

“You are not supposed to die, you stupid bastard! Didn’t you say you wanted to be strong when you grew up?! You told me yourself, at the lake so long ago. Get up and stop being like this! You aren’t like this! I-“ Gilbert was stopped in his rant when he felt fingers through his hair.

“You will meet me again….I know so.” Ivan said softly, taking his unoccupied hand through the other’s hair in a soothing fashion. “History always repeats itself… isn’t that what humans use to say?” He continued, making Gilbert look up slightly. The albino was sure not to dislodge the hand busy caressing his hair. The motion was nice.

“Even if I won’t be the exact same as I am now when I return, don’t be sad for me. I’ll see you again soon, I promise.”

That made Gilbert stare at him for a few moments, memorizing his face for the last time. The soft palatium hair and the strange purple hue of his eyes. His unique large nose. The happy genuine smile on his face. Without having to think about it first, Gilbert knew Ivan was telling the truth.

“I’ll hold you to that….”

On the 26th of December 1991, The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics officially ceased to exist. On the 25th of December 1993, The Russian Federation was officially called into existence in its place.


End file.
